Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1887-07-12
A YACHT CAPSIZES.
The Mystery Goes Down In u Storm--Twer
ty-seven Lives Lost.

Mystery left Bufflebar, an island In the
Canarsie Bay, at Z o'clock last evening,
loaded almost to the gunwales with women
and children. When off Barren Island,
en- route for Canarsie, the yacht capsized
and only thirteen of forty souls, compos-
ing her passengers and crew, were rescued.
The party which was involved in this ter
rible disaster was made up chiefly OF
of women, families resident il Brooklyn
and Long Island City. The sun was just
sinking when the passengers of the Mys-
tery and Christina gathered on the pier to
embark for Canarsie. So many of the
men of the party showed the effects of the
the beer they had drunk that the shippers
thought it best to put the women and
children aboard the Mystery, which is a
cabin yacht forty feet long, and rates as a
much safer boat than her consort. The
women protested, but their protest was
unheeded.
The mystery and its precious load swung
off from the Buffiebar pier at Z o'clock.
The Christina, as could be seen, was about
to swing out in the Mystery's way. Capt.
Hendrickson, of the Mystery, said in the
hearing OF some of the women who were
rescued, that he was going to get to Canar-
sic first or
BLOW A STICK OUT.
Mrs. Switzer, of Green Point, made a
most earnest protest against more sail, as
the boat was already heeling in a way that
frightened the women into Mysteries. Capt.
Hendrickson declared he could sail the
Mystery through gale and persisted in
his order for more sail. The reef knots
were unfastened and the boom dropped
Just as q squall of considerable violence
struck the sail. In second she was on
beam ends and all the people were strug-
Cling in the choppy sea.
The accident was witnessed from the tug
j. C.. Dean, which was then over two miles
away. For five minutes the yacht re-
manned on her beam end and the shrouds
and bulwarks afforded some hold for the
engulfed people. The struggle for place
TO hold on to was mournful, fully one-half
OF the drowning people were children. The
mothers made frantic efforts to get their
little ones to where they could hold ON to
something, but one after another
THEY WERE SWEPT OFF
into the tide-way, and floated by their
clothing their hands waved in frantic and
unayailing appeals for help.
1t was some time before the tug got near
enough to be Of use. A negro put out from
Barren Island in a row-boat and was the
first to aid the drowning people. Alto
gether seven of the lives saved are to be
credited solely to his efforts. When the
tug arrived there were few OF the victims
above the surface. As she neared wo.
man floating trying to baOy up her four
year-Old child, man on the guards sud-
denly exclaimed: "My God,
THAT Is MY WEE"
and then went to her aid. The woman
had already lost her grip on the child and
was abont sinking when he reached her.
He had the choice of saving her or the
child, and he chose the wife. He and she
were soon drawn aboard the Dean, but the
child sank before their eyes. The next
grappled was woman of middle age, who
had been kept on the surface by her stout
ness. She, however, was so exhausted
that she died in few minutes after being
brought aboard the tug. A child and an
other woman also died after being taken
ont, but the Deans willing passengers and
crew succeeded in rescuing five alive.
According to the latest reports this
morning, the disaster proves fully as ser
iOus as at first stated. The number OF
lives lost will not be less than twenty
five and is likely to reach twenty-scven.
The party were mainly from the eastern
district of Brooklyn and was known rs the
Crescent Yacht Club. 1t was nominal
organization simply for the purpose of a
chowder party, or picnic, and in the
depth of
GRIEF AND HORROR
that the accident has plunged its mem
bers, they are scarcely able TO tell the par
ticulars of the makeup of their own party.
The number of invited guests is known
only TO the persons who extended the in
yitatiOns and not to the others and makes
it impossible even yet to give list of the
passengers of the ill-fated yacht. The best
advices estimate the whole load ut thirty
seven and the number saved is only ten.
The following is the list of lost up to the lat
est reports: Michael Schwind, the blind ac-
Gordon player, residence unknown; Mrs
Brundell; Mrs. Louis Obernier, of 14S
Yaret street, Brooklyn, f. d., her husband
John, was in the other boat. frankie
Obernier, a seven year old; Lizzie Obernier,
q three year old; Charlie Obernier, two
year old; Mrs. Weliss, of Bushwick
Mrs. Fargo; child of Mrs. Fargo, Abe
Bader, seventeen years old, OF II Merrell
street, Brooklyn, f. ID. 4; Philip Lomberg,
Freddy Lombers; little girl of the same
family; George Kring, eight years old, of
CanaIsie; Nicholas Scheidt, of De Kalb
Avenue, near Dushwick Avenue; capt. |
David Hendrickson, of Canarsie; Henry
Hendrickson, nine years old, his
SOD; two young men, names un-
known TO survivors, supposed to be
James Burgess and Mark Starks;
There are others missing and undoubt-
edly drowned, but Us some of the people
of the Chowder party returned to VIII
liamsburg last night their names could not
be aseertained at Canarsie. The survivors
and others of the club who were on other
boats still cling to the hope and speak of
the absent as missing, but the Canarsie
boatmen have no doubt but all are lost |
There is no room for the belief that any
rescues were made beyond those accom-
plished
BY THE HEROIC WORK
of the colored sailor, Robinson.
They were the women and children |
brought ashore by the tug Edith Dean,
ranf Pah1a The or tho ,o